I have a tire that is very worn and just got a flat so I would like to get a tire sooner than later. I called up 4 tire shops Big-O, Les Schwab, dicount tire etc. and none of them have the tires in stock and in addition the tires cost about 50$ more per tire than more common sizes.

How large of an affect would switching to 205/60 R16 tires be? I understand that the speedometer would be off by a small amount but are there any other affects such as ware on the engine, gas mileage etc. that would make it worth spending the extra money and waiting a couple weeks to get the 195/60 R16 tires?

4 Answers
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The summary version is that tires can fit on a variety of rims, and thus rims can accept a variety of tires. The best approach is to determine the rim's width and ensure that it is within the specification of the tire. There is also the concept of "plus sizing" where a tire with a smaller aspect ratio is chosen to balance out the wider width.

While I encourage you to check the specifications (I haven't), I strongly suspect that a move from 195 to 205 will be just fine. From the research of one poster on Scionlife.com:

Here is a list of acceptable 16" sizes for Scion XD, according to Discount Tire Co.:

205/55/16

205/60/16

215/55/16

225/50/16

225/55/16

I think the 205/60/16 would look great, it would give the XD more of a mini-SUV appearance. The allowed rim width for that tire size is 5.5"- 7.5", so you are good to go with the factory 16x6"steel wheel.

Going to a 205 width tire, you would need to move to a smaller profile ratio - which would be a 55, in order to get close to the original tire height. Typically, going to a wider tire hampers original performance. Wider tires weigh more, have a wider contact patch, so it takes more force to move (increased fuel consumption), and harder for it to channel water, cost more and makes the ride harsher due to increased sidewall flexing. Race cars run wide tires mainly due to improved heat dissipation properties and increased cornering response. However, passenger cars don't have the same requirements as a race car. In the end, within reason, running a wider tire is a personal choice. I've actually moved to using a thinner tire (195/60R16 from a 205/55R16) to help with driving in the snow. It has also improved my gas mileage.